DEMIGODS. (Percico/Pernico)

˚‧º·Chapter Four‧º·˚

A week had passed, and we had gathered all of the members of our band. We hauled all of our equipment into my garage, which was adjoined to my house, but my mother told me it was okay that we could practice in there. She sounded more enthusiastic about us practicing when I mentioned that there was a scholarship involved if we won the contest.

We all sat in a circle of folding chairs in my garage, our instruments set to the side for the meantime. Reyna printed out the criteria of the Band-Off and she was reading off the points that we needed to follow.

"We need a name to enter the competition," Reyna told the group, glimpsing down at the rules and requirements. "Our song cannot be longer than five minutes. We can preform an original piece or a song already published, as long as we don't copy the original artist completely. Songs should not include inappropriate language or mentions of sexual activities."

"Well, there goes 'Sugar We're Going Down,'" Leo joked.

I smiled, but then turned my attention back onto the band name requirement. "So, what should we call ourselves?"

The room was silent for awhile as we tried to brainstorm a good name for us.

"DEATH!!" Thalia suggested. "All capital letters, two exclamation marks for emphasis."

Jason shook his head. "Too edgy."

"Well, those Word-the-Word bands work well," Annabeth suggested. "Or single-word band names."

"Yeah, like Coldplay, or something," Piper said.

"Warmplay," Leo joked.

"No," Jason told him.

"How about Seppuku?" Annabeth suggested.

"What's that?" I asked.

"It was a ritual suicide preformed by samurai in feudalist Japan," she answered. "I thought it might be an interesting name for the band."

Jason and I were skeptical, but Piper, Leo, and Thalia seemed to be in agreement with the name. I thought it didn't really suit ourselves or who we were as a band. However, since it was four to two, that was going to be our name.

The bespectacled blond and I shared an unimpressed look, but I shrugged my shoulders.

"Let's get to practicing then," I said resignedly as I grabbed my guitar.

The rest obeyed and grabbed their instruments. Reyna moved all the chairs to the side and leaned against the wall, observing our actions. Jason, Thalia, and I plugged our guitars into our respective amps as Piper grabbed her microphone. Annabeth assumed her position at the keyboard, and Leo took a seat at his drum set, twirling the sticks around in his hands in anticipation.

Jason and I began the intro to the song we had decided to learn separately so we would know our individual parts. It was still in progress, as we were not perfect, but we knew what we were doing. Thalia began her own part on her guitar, an intense part that soon died down as Piper held the microphone to her lips and began to sing, low in volume to match the current music intensity.

"Another head hangs lowly, child is slowly taken, and the violence caused such silence, who are we mistaking?"

I focused on my part, which was quite simple, as bass guitarists usually repeat the same notes to form the base of the structure, which securely holds the rest of the music up, like the base of a tower.

"In your head, in your head, zombie, zombie, zombie, what's in your head? In your head, zombie, zombie, zombie."

I closed my eyes to let the melody wash over my senses as I continued the notes that my part was composed of. I let the music become my feelings, my surroundings, my experiences as we played on, Leo's drumming setting the rhythm, Annabeth's keyboarding and Thalia and Jason's combined efforts becoming essential ingredients. Piper's singing tied it all together, and I held it all up with my own low notes I was producing. It was something I alone could do. It was something that made me feel a part of something. Music as a whole made me feel this way. It made me feel passionate, happy, and complete as a person. Nothing else made me feel this way but music.

We finished up the song, feeling satisfied with our practice. Reyna was pleased by our skills, as well. Leo joked, and we laughed. It was like we joined a new family. No, even better. We made a band, and I was a crucial part of it.

♩     ♪     ♫     ♬    ♭    ♮    ♯

"When should our next practice be?" Reyna asked, making a schedule for this month's practices.

"How about tomorrow?" I suggested.

"I'm not sure if I can make it tomorrow," Reyna said. "I have paperwork to do."

"Well, when's the next day you have free?"

"Thursday."

"Then Thursday it is."

♩     ♪     ♫     ♬    ♭    ♮    ♯

I walked swiftly, almost jogged, through the hallway, making it to class in record speed. I eyed Jason sitting across the room, so I decided this was the perfect chance.

"So, did your new string make it in yet?" I asked eagerly as I dropped my books on the desk beside him.

We had to cancel practice yesterday because one of Jason's strings snapped, and I did not want a single moment to go to waste. We had started practicing every day after school, even if Reyna was not able to attend.

"Yes, I just need to get it fitted. We can practice today, don't worry."

I grinned at his answer as our English teacher—my stepdad, Paul—came in through the door, greeting our class and immediately telling us to open our exercises.

English was a bit of a struggle for me. Dyslexia is terrible when you're trying to get by without a few late assignments or any stress whatsoever. I needed to maintain a stable GPA, because, to my surprise, my ACT scores were pretty good, so I could go to a good college if I tried my hardest. Annabeth was pushing me in that direction. She signed me up for tons of scholarships beforehand, and she told me I was able to write decent essays that could qualify as long as I got them in on time. That is, if my ADHD, dyslexia, or homework assignments didn't interfere.